‘I do’ at the drive-thru
Niagara is becoming more like Las Vegas.
Elope Niagara’s Little Log Wedding Chapel now offers couples drive-thru weddings, a service that started in March.
Co-owner Kim Cartmell said the idea stemmed from couples visiting the chapel — which opened in 2012 — and regularly asking if they could sign paperwork from their cars.
Cartmell, who along with her business partner Kathy White, said they’ve done about 25 drivethru ceremonies during the last four months, with 10 more booked for the fall.
The drive-thru package is for couples who want to be legally married, but not by a judge in a courthouse.
Cartmell said one bride told her she didn’t want to get married in the same place people get divorced.
The event takes about 10 minutes.
According to Elope Niagara’s website, they offer the region’s only drive-thru wedding kiosk.
The property is located on Switch Road, off the Niagara Parkway in Fort Erie, just down the road from Niagara Falls.
Cartmell said drive-thru weddings are ideal for couples who need the legalities before heading to a destination “pretend” wedding, or who have been together for many years and need things legal for future potential health issues.
She said there are many other reasons some people choose drivethru services, including not wanting to spend $30,000 on a traditional wedding.
The drive-thru wedding at Elope Niagara costs $295, plus tax.
“They don’t want the stress. There’s some people who are very shy, they want something intimate, they don’t want to say their vows in front of anybody,” said Cartmell.
She said in some instances, couples want to avoid any drama that might be an issue with their respective families.
“There’s couples that, their families are spread out all around the world, they can’t get them all together.”
Cartmell said she and her business partner are both wedding officiants.
She said couples interested in the drive-thru wedding have to pre-book and pre-pay prior to the service.
“We can’t do the pop-in drivethru.”
Cartmell said couples also have to have a valid marriage licence obtainable at any city hall in Ontario.
Two couples got Thursday afternoon.
Each had their own witnesses in the backseat, and pulled their vehicles in side-by-side at the wooden kiosk, so each could see the other’s wedding.
Cosimo Commisso and Laura Neddow, who have been together for 19 years, were one of the couples.
Commisso said they decided to do a drive-thru wedding because it was “quick and easy.”
“Laura has some health issues ... so it’s a little easier on the stress,” he said.
Laura, who took the Commisso last name, said they set wedding dates “a couple times,” but never followed through.
“We’ve had so many functions and we thought to ourselves, why didn’t we get married?” she said, adding they always planned a Las Vegas drive-thru wedding.
“Years ago, you talked about going to Vegas, even mentioned getting the pink Cadillac, driving down the boulevard.”
She said her friend, Wanda Kitzman, who married Mervyn Main at the drive-thru kiosk Thursday, found Elope Niagara and told her about it.
Commisso described the private, waterfront country property setting as “beautiful.”
Aside from drive-thru services, Elope Niagara offers a number of different wedding packages.
For more information, visit elopeniagara.com.